A3811-1
Strategies to Attract
and Keep Customers
Jody Padgham
Farmers who sell their products by direct
marketing need to take the time to reflect
on successes and failures in the business.
Reflection is not enough,however.Change
can be difficult,but assessing what worked
and what didn’t will provide successful
direct marketers with the opportunity to
anticipate and respond to customer needs
and wants.
Keeping the
customers you serve
happy can be your
best marketing tool.
Keeping
customers satisfied
C
If you answered “yes”to nine or more
questions,you are a better-than-average
market operator.Below six is poor;
between six and nine is mediocre.Surveys
show that a customer who has an
unpleasant experience at your business
will tell ten or more people about it.
Is customer turnover at a minimum? Below
are questions to help evaluate your
success in keeping customers satisfied.
Building a successful,positive image with
your customers enhances your overall
credibility.Living up to that image creates
valuable word-of-mouth publicity.
Customers most often base their
purchasing decisions on the advice of
people they know.
ustomers are the lifeblood of your
business,so it is crucial to maximize
customer satisfaction.Some degree of
customer turnover is inevitable,but
successful food marketers will retain
repeat customers.It costs about five times
more to bring in a new customer than to
keep an existing one.
1.Do you realize the value of your
current customers? These are your best
accounts.They are quicker to buy and
require fewer “special deals.”Never
take your customers for granted!
2.Do you communicate to all your
customers that they are important?
3.Do you encourage customers to return
to your business?
A successful direct marketer should work
constantly to find out what the consumer
wants and develop products that satisfy
customer demands.When customers are
satisfied,they will not only return to
support your business,but will also tell
others what you have to offer.Consumer
interests and demands should serve as
production cues to farmers and food
marketers.By knowing what customers
want,you can change production or
presentation strategies to better fit
consumers’wishes.
4.Do you tailor your services to your
customers’particular needs?
5.Do your customers call you when they
have a tough problem?
6.Do you provide unique services that
your customers would find difficult to
duplicate somewhere else?
7.Do your customers feel that you are
concerned about their interests and
welfare?
M A R K E T I N G
I N
Customer complaints should be
recognized as constructive criticism that
can be used to improve your business.
Work with all your employees on customer
relations regardless of the frequency or
type of contact they have with the public.
Furthermore,develop a procedure for
handling customer complaints based on
the following suggestions:
Listen to customers and acknowledge
complaints.Customers who complain
expect action.
Develop empathy and show concern
for the customer.
Ask questions to obtain details;solicit
customers’alternative solutions.
8.Do you attempt to learn as much
about each customer as possible?
Resolve the action underlying the
complaint.
9.Do you follow up to make sure orders
are filled quickly and accurately?
When complaints cannot be resolved
immediately,update the customer
periodically on the progress.Keep a
notebook of promised actions.
10.Do you follow up on complaints to
make sure the resolution was
satisfactory to the customer?
D I R E C T
Complaints can
improve your business
W I S C O N S I N
Record the complaints and analyze
them periodically to determine trends.
E M E R G I N G
A G R I C U L T U R A L
Six ways to attract
and keep customers
The following six strategies will help you
attract and keep customers.
1. Offer quality products. Good quality
is the most important reason cited by
consumers for buying directly from
farmers. Successful marketers keep
customers with repeat sales of quality
products.
2. Cultivate good people skills. Attitude
is critical to your business success. A
personal inventory of your skills,
interests and goals will help det ermine
your personality and ability to relate to
a wide mix of customers. People skills
are essential to direct marketers. Even
with a sincere interest and desire to
work closely with your customers, if
you are not a “people person” your
chance for direct marketing success is
slim. If you don’t have the people skills
needed, see if another family member
might shine where you don’t. Don’t be
surprised if one of your children turns
outs to be a sales “star.”
3. Know your customers. Tell them that
you appreciate their business. Each of
us values someone who calls us by
name or inquires about us or a family
member. The potential customer is
more likely to purchase from someone
who takes the trouble to offer a
personal touch.
Copyright © 2005 by the Board of Regents
of the University of Wisconsin System
doing business as the division of
Cooperative Extension of the University of
Wisconsin-Extension. All rights reserved.
Send copyright inquiries to: Cooperative
Extension Publishing, 432 N. Lake St., Rm.
103, Madison, WI 53706.
Direct Marketing in Wisconsin is a project of
the Cooperative Extension Emerging
Agricultural Markets team. The team’s
work is supported in part by a USDA grant
M A R K E T S
4. Use attractive packaging. Packaging
may help make the sale for some
products. You may want to reconsider
your package and label. Any holiday
season may also provide you an
opportunity to spice up your regular
product with a special touch.
5. Let customers try samples. Sampling
is a very successful way to draw new
customers to your product. Taking a
taste of a product might convince
someone that price doesn’t matter for
a really good-tasting item.
6. Be willing to change. Consumers are
always looking for new products.
Hundreds of thousands of new food
products will be introduced in the
United States this year. The changes in
many of the products, while often
minimal, offer something new or
different to attract customers. You may
need to change your product, your
package, your advertising or display to
increase your appeal to customers.
Grocery stores have found that
bringing in new products and more
frequent remodeling is
essential to the success of
their businesses. Monitor
your competition and be
willing to consider changes
and new products based on
your judgment, experience
and your read of your
customers.
In conclusion, we recommend that you
spend time thinking about the comments
and suggestions you have received from
your customers throughout the season.
Whatever you observe can help with
decisions about changes you can make to
improve your services and expand your
sales. Did you have many repeat
customers? If not, why do you think that is?
If you have a list of people that buy from
you, consider sending out a sur vey over
the winter to ask for their input and
suggestions on your products or services.
Are packages the right size? Product
selection appropriate? Hours of operation
okay? Anything they’d like that you don’t
offer? Don’t forget to remind them to tell
their friends about your services.
Keeping the customers you serve happy
can be the best marketing tool you have.
(Agricultural Entrepreneurship-Wisconsin).
For more information on the team’s work
and Wisconsin’s new agricultural markets,
visit www.uwex.edu/ces/agmarkets.
Extension provides equal opportunities in
employment and programming, including
Title IX and Americans with Disabilities
(ADA) requirements.
Adapted from a newsletter by Professor
emeritus John Cottingham of the
University of Wisconsin-Extension. Edited
and updated by Jody Padgham. Reviewed
by Rami Reddy, UW-Extension direct
marketing specialist, UW-Platteville.
This publication is available from your
Wisconsin county Extension office or from
Cooperative Extension Publishing. To
order, call toll-free: 1-877-WIS-PUBS
(947-7827) or visit our web site:
cecommerce.uwex.edu.
An EEO/AA employer, the University of
Wisconsin-Extension, Cooperative
Strategies to Attract and Keep Customers (A3811-1)
I/2005